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"Integrity, craftsmanship and moral passion...an artist with a unique and compelling voice" - William Styron "The best first person crime novel I have ever read" - Quentin Tarantino "Quite simply, one of the great crime novels of the past 30 years" - James Ellroy "A classic" - Time Out "A gripping and harrowing read" - Daily Mail "This summer's smartest reissue" - The Face "Crime reissue of the year" - i.d. "The most compelling quality of No Beast So Fierce is that, solidly rooted in his own experiences, it explores the nature of the criminal mind with almost blinding authenticity. Bunker is obviously a man of unusual gifts honed under circumstances that would destroy most men." - Los Angeles Times
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
William Styron, from the introduction
"Edward Bunker {is} among the tiny band of American prisoner-writers whose work possesses integrity, craftsmanship and moral passion...an artist with a unique and compelling voice."
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Someone once told Guy Ritchie that to be regarded as a genuine artist he should stop making gangster films and move into something a bit more original. Not so, Edward Bunker, who seems to gain credibility and ooze originality with every novel he publishes.
No Beast so Fierce is at first exactly what you would expect from an ex-con who has considered his past present and future from behind a couple of inches of iron. But where Mr Madonna fails with his pseudo-don't f*ck with me persona, Bunker is right on point and there's no mistaking the fact that his fiction is more from the back of the cell than of the mind.
In Max Dembo, Bunker creates a con who you know is a good guy really, but just a good guy who'll blow your head off if you get in his way or he feels like it. He trips from one sniff of criminality to another, picking up a woman and and picking off a cop, before finally returning to the position he is in when the book begins.
Bunker's novel is then a realistic, if depressing exploration of how we condition those we imprison, and how they, in turn, struggle to meet with the separate set of rules we impose when they are returned to 'normal' society.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This gripping insight into the American criminal life is so convincing that it the reader has to be reminded that it is a novel. Written as Bunker was being sentenced to his third term in prison, it clearly demonstrates the difficulties facing ex prisoners on release, who lacking any other opportunities are almost inevitably drawn back into crime. In so doing, it explores the both the American attitude to ex cons in maintaining this position but also refreshingly admits the role of the criminal psyche in the constant need for one more big hit.
Bunker's intelligent writing style, juxtaposed against his almost indifferent attitude to violent crime, provides a stark contrast and the book highlights the fragility of the inter relationships within the criminal communities where trust is an occupational hazard.
That Bunker finally broke free from a life of crime through this book reinforces its quality- definitely worth a read.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Just over 300 pages but drenched in vivid detail, you will forget you are reading a work of fiction. We follow a man called Max Dembo who has just been released from jail on parole. Max wants to rid himself of his former criminal life and go straight. But tensions between Max and his parole officer cause him to over the edge and abandon a 'normal life' and returns to his former life of crime.
Set in Los Angeles, we follow Max's new life which is an intense ride into L.A's seedy side that avoids clichés and tells it like it is. Actions have serious consequences and we have to go through the darkness in order to see the light. Max is such an interesting character. A man we are supposed to hate because of his bleak look on life, his violent actions and crimes turns out to be an almost likeable character. He sees life differently than most criminals seen in books. He despises society, he frequently tells us about the point on living knowing fine well our day will come to an abrupt end, he transcends life. Ed Bunker has made one of the most compelling characters I've ever read.
Not only just a violent crime book, it is also a serious character study and a very realistic one. Like I said earlier, one would think we are actually reading a true story. Because of Bunker's experience (he was a criminal before turning to writing) we are basically shown the ins and outs of how a criminal works, thinks and lives. Along with his pinpoint accuracy of Los Angeles, we are given a highly realistic thriller.
A disturbing, emotionally charged, noir driven novel, No Beast So Fierce deserves to be read by everyone at least once in their lifetime. A true masterpiece of crime fiction.
Set in Los Angeles, we follow Max's new life which is an intense ride into L.A's seedy side that avoids clichés and tells it like it is. Actions have serious consequences and we have to go through the darkness in order to see the light. Max is such an interesting character. A man we are supposed to hate because of his bleak look on life, his violent actions and crimes turns out to be an almost likeable character. He sees life differently than most criminals seen in books. He despises society, he frequently tells us about the point on living knowing fine well our day will come to an abrupt end, he transcends life. Ed Bunker has made one of the most compelling characters I've ever read.
Not only just a violent crime book, it is also a serious character study and a very realistic one. Like I said earlier, one would think we are actually reading a true story. Because of Bunker's experience (he was a criminal before turning to writing) we are basically shown the ins and outs of how a criminal works, thinks and lives. Along with his pinpoint accuracy of Los Angeles, we are given a highly realistic thriller.
A disturbing, emotionally charged, noir driven novel, No Beast So Fierce deserves to be read by everyone at least once in their lifetime. A true masterpiece of crime fiction.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Gritty, eloquent and inevitable
You may know Edward Bunker as Mr Blue in Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs. He was actually an unrepentant, charming and extremely eloquent career criminal. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Victor Ward
my favorite book of all time
This book rules!!! The story starts with the main charctor Max Dembo being released from an 8 yr prison stretch, hes determined to go straight, but soon gets sucked into his past... Read more
Published on 23 July 2009 by D. J. Davies
The Criminal Mind
This book is an excellent read and worthy of the praise heaped on it. Bunker's inside knowledge is superb and he captures the relationship between the criminal world and the... Read more
Published on 9 July 2002 by dogwasher
A fantastic read
This book is excellent. You really get to know the main character and understand the reasons for the choices he makes. Read more
Published on 22 Dec 2000
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